How the New Deal Treated Art as Essential to Democracy

The United States government transformed the role of the artist during the Great Depression by treating art as a vital public resource rather than a private luxury. Between 1933 and 1943, New Deal programs like the Public Works of Art Project (PWAP) commissioned hundreds of thousands of works for schools, libraries, and hospitals, providing 'plumbers' wages' to struggling creators. This federal patronage supported a generation of then-unknown figures, including Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko, and Alice Neel, while focusing on the 'American scene' to make culture accessible to the general public.

30 Iconic Feminist Works By Women Artists

ARTnews has expanded its list of iconic feminist works by women artists, adding 15 new entries to a previous selection. The article highlights specific pieces, such as Edmonia Lewis's *The Death of Cleopatra* (1876), Mary Cassatt's *The Reader* (1877), and Alice Pike Barney's *Medusa* (1892) and *Lucifer* (1902), providing historical context for each artist and their contribution to feminist discourse through art.

Awards, Prussian Porcelain, Techno, Cabaret! Inside Berlin’s First-Ever Art Gala

Berlin's Hamburger Bahnhof museum held its first-ever gala to celebrate its 30th anniversary. The event featured a curated program of performances, including a participatory installation by artist duo Elmgreen and Dragset titled "Performing Yourself" and a mirrored neon work by Monica Bonvicini. High-profile guests like Cate Blanchett, Matt Dillon, Wim Wenders, and Nina Hoss attended the evening, which blended traditional gala elements with Berlin-specific cultural touchstones like techno, cabaret, and performances by artists such as Ellen Allien and Alice Sara Ott.

A brush with… Karen Archey, head of curatorial at Düsseldorf's K20 and K21 museums

Karen Archey, the head of curatorial at Düsseldorf's K20 and K21 museums, shares personal insights in an interview format. She reveals her obsession with painter Alice Neel, discusses a formative 2007 summer touring major European art events, and lists the poetry and audio currently occupying her attention.

Artist list for Counterpublic 2026 announced

The St. Louis-based triennial Counterpublic has unveiled its full artist list for the 2026 edition, titled 'Coyote Time.' Running from September 12 to December 12, the exhibition features 47 artists, duos, and collectives, including prominent names like Glenn Ligon, Nicholas Galanin, and Rirkrit Tirivanija. Curated by a diverse team including Stefanie Hessler and Wanda Nanibush, the triennial will utilize site-responsive practices and emergent technologies to explore themes of climate, immigration, and education.

Artists take us down the rabbit hole in this group exhibition

The group exhibition 'Down the Rabbit Hole' at The Crypt Gallery features over 30 artists reflecting on the psychological and social impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic. Presented by the social enterprise Katya’s Space, the show honors the legacy of the late artist Katya Kan, who passed away in 2023. The works explore themes of digital addiction, isolation, and the 'dystopian' shift in reality experienced during global lockdowns, using Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland as a metaphor for this profound transformation.

Alice Peach “Still Curly” at Iowa, New York

Alice Peach’s solo exhibition "Still Curly" at Iowa, New York, features a series of new sculptures constructed from popsicle sticks. These humble, mass-produced materials are transformed into modular, skeletal forms that mimic biological structures such as spines and torsos. The works are displayed in various states of tension, either splayed against the gallery walls or suspended from the ceiling to create a sense of precarious movement.

Alice Riehl Grows a Porcelain Tree Full of Humanity in Jouy-en-Josas

Alice Riehl fait pousser un arbre de porcelaine plein d’humanité à Jouy-en-Josas

Artist Alice Riehl has unveiled a major porcelain installation titled "Herbarium Interior" at the Musée de la Toile de Jouy in Jouy-en-Josas. The work, a sprawling tree with leaves, branches, and roots, is crafted from porcelain and was inspired by the museum's historical textile collections. The installation is part of a solo exhibition, and a concurrent presentation of her work, "Porcelain Florilegium," is on view at New York's Museum of Arts and Design.

Dr Kurt A. Gitter, Japanese Art Collector, 89

Dr. Kurt A. Gitter, a pioneering retinal surgeon and world-renowned collector of Japanese art, has passed away at the age of 89 in New Orleans. Born in Vienna and having escaped the Holocaust as an infant, Gitter discovered his passion for Japanese culture while serving as a U.S. Air Force flight surgeon in the 1960s. Over several decades, he and his wife Alice Yelen Gitter amassed one of the most significant private collections of Edo-period paintings and self-taught American art in the Western world.

Suporna’s first solo exhibition under way at Safiuddin Shilpalay

Visual artist and poet Suporna Alice Gomes has launched her debut solo exhibition, "Burnt Expressions—the Realms of Fantasy," at Safiuddin Shilpalay in Dhaka. The showcase features 59 works, including acrylics and unique series utilizing watercolor and coffee on paper. The collection is characterized by a monochromatic, rusted aesthetic intended to evoke "burnt expressions" and nostalgic memories, featuring portraits of iconic Bangladeshi figures like Kazi Nazrul Islam and SM Sultan alongside nature-inspired landscapes.